WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Canada are holding high-stakes talks amid an escalating dispute with China that threatens to further complicate ties between the North American neighbors.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis were meeting their Canadian counterparts on Friday for discussions expected to be dominated by Canada’s arrest of a Chinese tech executive at Washington’s request. China has detained two Canadians in apparent retaliation.
The case has set off a three-way diplomatic furor in which Canada is stuck in the middle.
Canada arrested the chief financial officer of telecoms giant Huawei (WAH’-way) on Dec. 1. The U.S. wants her extradited on charges she and her company violated sanctions on Iran. But a Canadian judge released her on bail Tuesday.
